
Earth Science
Foton-M No.2 was an unmanned Foton-M spacecraft which carried a European payload for the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft carried a 600-kilogram (1,300 lb) payload, including 385 kilograms (849 lb) of experiments; consisting of 39 experiments in fluid physics, biology, material science, meteoritics, radiation dosimetry and exobiology (BIOPAN-5). Some of the experiments were designed by the ESA's student programme. One notable experiment tested the ability of lichen to survive in space. It was successful, as the lichen survived over 14 days of exposure to space.
Orbital Attempt
#4,714
RFSA Mission
#144
Pad Launch
#395
Location Launch
#1,238
Designator
2005-020
May 31, 2005, 12:00 PM
1 update
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian crewed spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
Timezone
Asia/Qyzylorda
Local Launch Time
May 31, 2005, 6:00 PM
Total Launches
1,564
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
45.9650, 63.3050